


Gold and Silver; Made For Each Other

by ma_jewelry



Category: Super Junior
Genre: Fantasy, Humour, M/M, Romance, l o n g af one-shot ugh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 16:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11062779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ma_jewelry/pseuds/ma_jewelry
Summary: Donghae is the Crown Prince of the Haedal Empire while Hyukjae is only an underground commoner. Fate brings them together and they realize, in the end, that they were truly "made for each other".





	Gold and Silver; Made For Each Other

It was night. When most were asleep in their houses, and small lanterns lit up the darkness.

Everything was as usual.

In two places not too close or too far from each other, two mothers were working their hardest to finish the last step in bringing their creations to the world. Amidst the panting and puffing, they were interrupted by a sudden commotion outside that had everyone else rising from their sleep, shocked by the phenomenon before their eyes.

The usually calm sea was thrashing about, exploding against the riverbanks after soaring hundreds of meters up into the air. Everyone busied themselves with praying to their Creator, pleading for the angry waters to stay away from their fragile crops and buildings. They were so immersed in their anxiousness that no one noticed streaks of silver spreading its long fingers in the distant sky, half hidden by the veils of seawater. For a storm to be accompanied by lightning was not out of the ordinary, but if anyone had the opportunity to look closely, they would be baffled at the resemblance that lightning had to an almost living thing.

Finally, as if encouraged by the agitated nature, the relieving sound of a first cry from two babies overlapped each other precisely, although the walls and empty alleyways between them meant that no one could hear both of them simultaneously.

What happened around the two was scarily identical despite their contrasting family backgrounds. Both figures were lifted up into the air, again at the exact same time.

“It’s a boy!”

 

☾☼ 

 

For the first time in history, enough land was occupied by a single leader to form an empire, where millions of citizens were ruled by a single emperor. It had taken generations and generations of planning and arranging, but at last the current Emperor Lee took the title, and has been ruling the Haedal Empire for over a century.

Until one day, the Imperial Concubine was announced to be pregnant. It would be the Emperor’s first child. Rumours told of the Empress being jealous of the concubine who was so lucky to conceive the first prince, but because she was also the Emperor’s favourite concubine, her protection was thorough deep inside the palace grounds. As for the truth behind the stone walls, no one knew.

Nevertheless, no rumour could ever doubt how much the Emperor loved his first born, after he immediately titled him as the Crown Prince, meaning that he would be the next ruler of the empire. The Crown Prince had abundant freedom inside the empire, getting anything he wished for. Apart from the Emperor, he was the next most important person to please, because any discomfort experienced by him would almost definitely result in punishment from the Emperor. Everywhere he went, people would bow down on their knees, afraid to get themselves in trouble, referring to the royal by his title. Only a very limited amount of people were allowed to call him anything else, so it was rare that he would hear his real name-

Lee Donghae- named after the extraordinary waves in the East Sea on the night that he was born.

 

☾☼ 

 

“Donghae? Donghae, are you here?”

A woman in an exquisitely woven sapphire blue gown lifted back the bead curtains with a pale hand, decorated with a single silver tattoo below the pinky knuckle. The shape of the pattern was not only a guide for new servants to recognize her as someone of a high importance, but also to signify that she had been given the title of Imperial Concubine by the Emperor himself.

Donghae’s birth mother glanced around the empty room belonging to her fourteen-year-old son, then dropped the curtain down as she sighed, turning around to search somewhere else. She had taken only one step towards the main entrance to the building, some distance away from where she was standing, when a messenger boy ran through the wide-opened wooden doors.

“Your highness, we told all visitors that you weren’t feeling well but she just ignored us. She’s coming this way now and she’ll be here soon and I’m really sorry we weren’t able to follow your orders but-”

“Who is coming here now?”

Before the panicked boy could untwist his tongue, the corners of a thickly layered black and gold dress came into sight from behind one of the doors. Even though the intruder’s face was yet hidden behind the walls, this piece of information was enough to prepare the concubine for what was to come.

“Well, well. I thought you were sick? Why are you not resting in bed, but fully dressed with even your hair properly done?”

“Good morning, Empress. Thank you for visiting me.” She performed a perfect greeting bow towards the other, who was busy looking at her own servant until he received the signal and went to close the double doors. “It is an honour to have you here-”

“Enough. You can drop the formalities with me, Imperial Concubine. After all, it’s not like you’re still so much below me, now that you have given the Emperor a Crown Prince. You haven’t answered my question. Why did you tell the Emperor that you were sick last night?”

The Empress’ stare was scrutinizing and hostile, revealing the true reasons of her visit this morning. Compared to the Imperial Concubine, she was undoubtedly more beautiful, with vibrantly bright eyes and ruby lips to match. Perhaps it balanced out her disadvantage in other areas, such as how she had just accidentally disclosed that she was with the Emperor last night, and even when he was with his Empress, the Emperor was still talking about the concubine.

The calmer woman felt sorry for the jealousy that was directed towards her, but also glad. Because although she did not return the Emperor’s feelings, there was someone else that did. She admired the Empress for loving the Emperor so much, even though their marriage was solely political, she was willing to try and make the concubine spend more time with him just because the other made him happier.

“I had said I was sick, because I was not feeling well last night. Today I feel better.” Her eyes remained respectfully lowered.

“Oh, so it was just a temporary excuse to decline the Emperor? Do you not care about his feelings at all? Is that why you locked yourself up in the most remote area of the palace, staying away from everybody?”

Her accusing tone had gotten so loud that the concubine didn’t notice someone about to enter until the doors were pushed open a fraction, and half of a face was revealed. Because the Empress was facing her, only the concubine recognized who was standing outside the door.

The doors suddenly changed direction and closed again with a low thud, as if someone had pushed it from the inside. The person outside hesitated, but didn’t attempt to enter anymore.

By the time the Empress had turned around from the noise, there was nothing unusual for her to see.

“What was that?” The servant anwered by shaking his head. He had also been facing away from the door, so he couldn’t see anything either.

“It must be the wind. The weather is getting colder these days. Empress, I have some rare fabric that I received as a gift, and they make some of the warmest clothing I have ever worn. Would you like me to send some over to you later?” The concubine offered.

“He keeps on saying you are one of the most kind-hearted souls, but I can see past it all. You just want to flaunt to me that he gave you gifts. You don’t need to pretend that your intention was to give me some of them. I can see through how fake you are.” She sneered.

“Empress, that is not what I meant. I am sorry for your misinterpretation-”

“Stop. You don’t need to explain to me, it won’t work. Only the Emperor is constantly fooled by you. He has all of these concubines, but the only one that he didn’t have to marry for a political reason is you. He cares about you so genuinely, and what do you do in return? Turn down all of his invitations, avoid him at all costs… you are really the most cold-blooded women I’ve ever seen. He doesn’t deserve to be treated like this. You don’t deserve him.” Her face had gotten a shade redder in anger, her voice already loud enough to be heard through the thick wooden doors. “I wish he never met you. I wish he met me first. He doesn’t deserve this. He doesn’t…”

“Me too.”

“W-what?” She flinched from her abruptness.

“Me too. I wish he never met me.”

“You heartless bitch. Do you know how sad he would be if he heard this?! Don’t you dare say anything like this to him. Swear on it.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t have a chance to say anything like that. We don’t talk to each other often anyways.”

“I… You are helpless. No matter what I do, or what I say, it’s impossible for you to bring yourself to care about him even a tiny bit. I give up. He doesn’t need you to be happy. I can make him happy too.”

“That is true. I wish you both happiness.”

The Empress frowned deeply at the concubine, who was not looking completely indifferent as usual, but with a hint of tiredness. She turned around, motioned for her servant to open the door, and left without another word.

A considerable amount of time later, the concubine sighed and sat down on a nearby chair to pour herself a cup of water. “You can come out now,” she called.

Behind one of the large pot plants outside the door, a young boy with large doe eyes and soft brunette hair quickly stepped inside and sat down beside the concubine. Another boy, who was significantly taller despite their similar ages, also appeared from another plant. Although he did not go inside and merely stood by the entrance.

The Crown Prince of the Haedal Kingdom was nothing but a little boy in front of his mother. Currently, there was a worried look on his face as he thought about everything he had just heard between the two women.

“Is what she said true? Mother, do you really not love father?” His naturally sad eyes were drooping down even further, on the verge of tears.

The Imperial Concubine finished her cup of water before she spoke. “Donghae, did I not tell you to not get upset so quickly? No matter what happens, you must keep composed at all times and make decisions with a clear mind. Oh, and Taemin, you know that you don’t have to stand at the door when you’re here with us. You can come inside and sit down. It must be tiring for you, having to keep watch of this easily emotional child.”

“Thank you, Imperial Concubine, but I have to stay by here so I have a clear view of any possible dangers present to the Crown Prince.”

“Hey! I’m not a child anymore! I’m fourteen already, and Taemin’s only three months older than me.” Pouting lips followed, but Donghae wasn’t really interested in that topic. He still hadn’t gotten an answer.

“Taemin, come sit down. We all know that even if something dangerous was coming, you will be the fastest out of everyone in the whole empire to stop it. No one can beat the speed of teleportation.” Her smile was warm and loving, situating herself in the role of a mother towards the young boy.

“Thank you, Imperial Concubine.” He finally gave up and walked over to sit down. “But it is not teleportation. I can run really fast, that’s all.”

She laughed. “It’s just a term. You’re so fast that most people can’t even see you moving. That’s basically teleportation.”

Taemin gave a small proud smile, his eyes curving beneath the blonde hair, creating a stark contrast to Donghae who was fidgeting in his chair.

He didn’t want his mother to think that he was as upset as he really was again, so he bit down on his bottom lip to stop himself from saying anything else. But the eyes gave it away.

The Imperial Concubine sighed and turned towards her only son. “Donghae, there are some things you won’t understand now, so I’m sorry that I can’t explain it all to you. Once you grow up and find the one that you truly love, then I will be able to tell you more.” Her eyes looked past the honey brown ones gazing back at her, seeing a different pair that were a shade lighter, a shade softer. The eyes that encouraged her to come to the palace. “You just need to remember, that your father is the one who loves me the most in this world, and I know that. The Empress came to me only because she loves the Emperor very much and wants the best for him, so you don’t need to worry about what she said to me. She doesn’t mean it.”

But the puppy dog eyes would not go away. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” She put her arms around him and placed a kiss on his hair. “And a part of the reason that I sent your father away was so he could rest. You know that those issues about fading powers all over the empire are stressing him out.”

Donghae frowned, this time for a different reason. “I know. I wish I could help him somehow. Mother, tell me the story of how we all have powers again.” He leaned his cheek on his left palm- the perfect position to listen to his favourite voice in the world.

“A long time ago, before humans existed, the only living existences were animals of countless varieties, with each having their own language. They could not interact with each other, due to their different sizes and natures, so the Creator of the world chose a portion of each kind of animal, and gave them all the same features that we humans share today. We all have similar limbs to perform the same functions, and we can make similar sounds that allow us to understand one another. But the animals that we originated from are still present in our blood, so we have different powers, characteristic of that animal.”

Donghae’s lips pulled into a grin, remembering Taemin’s cheetah-like speed and his mother’s telekinetic ability

“Have you still not found what animal you originated from, mother?”

“No I haven’t. There are so many species that have not been discovered by humans, but they’re all out there. Who knows, maybe there is an animal that can become invisible, and can also make other animals invisible too?” She smiled faintly, before growing serious again. “I don’t worry about it too much, Donghae, because for me it’s not that important. What’s important is how we moderate the use of our powers so that we are not harmed by it. Because every time they are used, a lot of energy is required from the human bodies we have. This is also one of the main reasons your father is troubled. Everywhere around the empire, there are reports that describe the citizens needing more and more energy to perform their powers, getting more and more tired each time. Some have gotten so exhausted that they cannot use their powers at all, because they simply do not have enough energy left in their bodies.”

“Mother! Are you alright, then? You just used your power to shut the door and stop me from coming inside. Are you feeling tired? Do you need to rest?” Donghae lifted his head from his hand, searching her face for any signs of fatigue.

“I’m ok, Donghae. I felt a little lightheaded back then, but I’m fine now. What about you? Do you feel dizzy or have any discomfort when you fly?”

“No, I don’t. Everything is still the same ever since I started flying at five years old.” He replied.

“I still remember that day as if it was only yesterday. We were lucky- you were indoors when you started floating, and if the ceiling wasn’t there then you would have kept on going upwards! You were crying because you didn’t know how to control your powers yet, and with your tears falling from the ceiling, you were like a little rain cloud.” She chuckled.

“Mother! Stop embarrassing me in front of Taemin.” Donghae’s cheeks tinted slightly.

“It’s alright, Crown Prince. I have heard this story many times already.”

“…we had to get a ladder to reach you. Before we found you a special caretaker who also descended from a flying animal, you were tied to the stone table with a string of rope. You were like a cute little balloon.”

“Mother!”

The dark haired woman was laughing so hard she had to use a hand to cover her mouth. “Ok, I’ll stop. What about you then, Donghae? Do you wish to find what you originated from?”

“I don’t know. I’ve always felt close to the sea, but there is only one species of fish that can fly, and I know it’s not that. Maybe my animal is like yours, mother. Maybe we’ll never know.”

“As long as you stay healthy and happy, Donghae. Be careful when using your powers, and rest properly, ok? Why don’t you and Taemin go outside the palace to play. He seems bored, with not enough space to run inside this pris- inside this palace.”

“Yes, mother. You take care also. We’ll be back by dinner time!”

The Imperial Concubine followed her beloved son out with her eyes until he could no longer be seen. Then she got up and walked into the room to get some bottles of hair dye.

 

☾☼ 

 

Donghae didn’t even blink with hesitation when he pulled out a plain white shirt and dark pants to match. No matter how he dressed, even if he wore a mask, people would recognise him as the Crown Prince, and he would experience that treatment which he hated the most in his life. Ok, maybe wearing a mask was a mistake since there had been literally nobody else who also covered their face, but still. Every citizen who lived around the palace knew him so well, it gave Donghae a headache every time he went outside. As if inside the palace wasn’t bad enough already.

Growing up basically alone, with no sisters or brothers of equal status as him, Donghae found his only friend in the palace library. He read every day. Sometimes they were about romance, sometimes about historical wars. He longed to see the beauties and horrors it painted inside his head. Not visual ones, but between people. He wanted to know what it was like to be willing to give up everything for your love, and maybe what it was like to be betrayed by the only one you trusted. Donghae knew that there was a whole other world out there, which he could never enter, because how do you fall in love with someone when the instant reaction to your appearance is to respectfully bow down?

“Let’s go further this time. Try find somewhere where they don’t know me.” The brunette flattened his hair with a hat that would hopefully cover some of his face.

“But then we won’t be back for dinner in time. Unless you want me to use my powers…”

“No, I don’t want you to risk your health for something as small as this. But Taemin, I really really just want to be looked at normally for once!” A familiar pout, well-practiced puppy-eyes, and Taemin gave up his reasons for not telling Donghae this earlier.

“Do you know about… the underground citizens?”

Donghae’s eyes sparkled at this new information. “No. Why?”

“Well... the people who are living above ground around us are all middle to upper class. I only knew about this a few weeks ago, but there are some people from lower classes who operate and trade right underneath the people walking on the streets.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner! This is perfect. If they haven’t been in touch with people from around here, then they won’t know me! What are we waiting for?”

“Wait, Donghae, the reason that I didn’t tell you, is because a large percentage of things that happen below are illegal.” He thought back to the time he witnessed a drug exchange with his own eyes. “Dangerous. And my job is to keep you away from danger.”

Donghae frowned at the only person unrelated to him who called him by his real name, spotting the worry behind Taemin’s reluctance. Taemin was the son of a high rank general for his father, the Emperor, and had more or less grown up with Donghae inside the palace grounds. For some reason, the Crown Prince had taken an immediate liking to the months-older boy, begging his father to let them play together until Taemin was assigned to be his personal bodyguard just to give their excessive closeness a title. It was likely due to the blonde’s innately calm demeanour, not making Donghae feel that he was fake like everyone else.

His frown smoothed out once a thought popped up into his head, and that satisfied cat-like smile came back. “But you already told me, which means you planned to let me go. I know you just wanted to warn me, Taeminnie, but I trust you to protect me, so don’t worry.”

Taemin tensed the tiniest bit at the nickname, but smiled back nevertheless. The title of being the Crown Prince’s bodyguard was only a title to them, because under it all, Taemin was just simply- Donghae’s friend.

 

☾☼ 

 

Though Taemin sometimes wished that he didn’t have to be beside the nosy Donghae who, such as right now, was watching a one-on-one street fight in the underground areas intently and forgetting that his blatant staring was definitely going to attract unwanted attention.

Attention that came very quickly.

“Hey! What’re you looking at! What’s your problem?” The bulkier of the two moved his target from the boy who had just thrown him into the dirt onto the more innocent, inexperienced-looking one standing a few meters away. He already felt humiliated that friends of both himself and the other had seen him lose that round so pathetically, and he wasn’t going to let an outsider laugh at him too.

Donghae’s eyes widened the moment he realised that he was talking to him, and colour drained his cheeks instantly. “I… I wasn’t….”

“Wasn’t what? Wasn’t standing there like a stupid bird, gaping at us? I’ll show you who’s the boss around here-” Before he could finish the sentence, a sweeping kick to his legs made them give out and for the second time that day, he found himself face to face with the lovely ground that he was standing on just a moment ago. Today just wasn’t his day.

“Who told you that I was finished with you? Pick your butt up off the ground if you can and go home. Unless you still think you can beat me.” The words of his opponent created immediate ripples of snickering from all around them, mocking the brawny boy’s defeat. As he motioned for all of his friends to follow him and retreat for now, he threw a dirty look towards his slim-looking opponent who was actually very fit. He didn’t understand how a fourteen year old could be so powerful, but then again, he mostly used his muscles and not his brain.

Rounding a corner, something clicked inside his head and he smirked, coming up with what he thought as the perfect plan for revenge. He crept back to the road where his rival currently stood, facing towards that innocent-looking boy and away from him. Perfect. Pulling a short wooden club from his pockets, he hesitated for a moment to check if anyone saw him, and then pounced forward, bringing the club down hard and fast in between the other’s neck and shoulder.

“No!!”

Everyone, except for the person who was lying face down to the ground for the third time that day, stared shocked at the black smoke rising from his blackened hair. It had happened so fast that nobody had saw it coming, and no one knew who or what caused him to be attacked like this. Like he had been struck by lightning.

Still stunned and confused, the people present looked towards their leader- the one who previously won against the now fried figure- and had to do all they could in order not to burst out laughing. Because their leader was one who forgave but did not forget. As hard as they tried, a few people still couldn’t control the giggles escaping through their clamped lips at their leader’s hair, flaming red as usual, but sticking out in all possible directions. It made him look like a red-haired lion. Coupled with the deadly glare on his face, a pissed off red-haired lion.

He gestured towards the people who failed at muffling their laughter, telling them to take the person on the ground away. Hopefully he was still alive. Before he dealt with the culprit, he needed someone to update his safety to his teammate.

“V, I need you to tell Kai about everything that happened exactly.”

No response.

The redhead sighed and tried again. “Taehyung?”

“Yes! What do I need to do? I’m ready.”

Half of the group rolled their eyes at the youngest member’s forgetfulness when it came to himself. Ironically, his memory was spectacular when it came to recalling events that had happened. But when it was about his own name…

“Taehyung, how many times do I need to tell you? Your name is V when we are out here. Now go home, and tell Jongin about what happened. Ok?”

“Yes! I got it! Leave it to me, Hyuk-“

“Taehyung! What did I say about names? What are you supposed to call me!”

“I- I’m sorry…”

“Don’t make a mistake next time. You can all go now. I’ll be fine alone.”

In merely a matter of seconds, the group disappeared into side streets and alleyways, leaving only the redhead, a guarded Taemin, and a mute Donghae who was still in an unresponsive daze from what he did. Did he really do that? That answer was unquestionably affirmative. But how? Why? How?

Hyukjae turned to face the brunette, and his hair was looking less lion-like by now, although the rigidness was still there in his expression. No one else was close enough to know, but Hyukjae had felt the tingles of electricity, which had targeted the man behind him but also forked onto himself. He knew that it all came from the shorter boy in front of him.

Instead of asking what he was originally intending to ask, Hyukjae’s first words to Donghae were “Hi, I’m Hyukjae.”

He didn’t know what made him reveal his true name on accident. Maybe it was the softness in the other’s eyes that seemed so vulnerable Hyukjae couldn’t bring himself to lie to them.

Donghae’s eyes travelled from nowhere in particular to Hyukjae’s ones, then up towards his hair, and at last back down again. “Hi, I’m Donghae.”

“Donghae? That’s a pretty name.” Hyukjae held out his hand, but quickly retrieved it. “Wait, if we shake hands, are you going to zap me again?

The shorter boy’s cheeks coloured instantly with guilt, making Hyukjae stare a little at the pink-dusted skin. “I’m really sorry about that. I don’t know how it happened; I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just wanted to stop him…”

Hyukjae laughed. A bright gummy smile, and Donghae went into another daze at just how bright it was. Blinding, even.

“It’s ok. I was just joking. Nice to meet you, Donghae.” He extended his hand once again and after a moment of hesitation, Donghae reached out to grab it.

“Nice to meet you too.” Hyukjae’s hands were warmer than his, and even though Donghae could swear that he didn’t do anything this time, a tingling feeling ran up both their fingers.

“So, Donghae, what brought you underground?”

The brunette’s eyebrows rose by a fraction. “How did you know?”

Hyukjae chuckled. “Well, it’s obvious that you and your friend are not from here. Speaking of, you haven’t introduced us yet.”

“Oh, this is Taemin, he’s my bodyguard.” The two shared a secret smile at the title, but Hyukjae’s eyes narrowed.

“Bodyguard?"

“Yes, Taemin has been my bodyguard ever since we were young. Because father said that a prince needs a bodyguard, and I thought Taemin would be a good one, so-“

“Wait. Prince?”

Both of his hands flew up to his mouth as Donghae realised his mistake, but it was too late. Hyukjae gave him a disappointed look, which he didn’t know the reason for, before turning to leave without any hesitation.

“Wait,” Donghae called out.

Hyukjae’s movements slowed, but his feet kept moving.

“You know, we actually have quite a lot in common.” The brunette blurted out. His mind told him to just say something, anything, and he wanted to hit himself when this was the best he could come up with in that fraction of a second.

It seemed to work, surprisingly, making Donghae smile when Hyukjae paused before turning around. The smile dropped when he saw the mocking look on the redhead’s face.

“And what would that be, prince? What could you possibly have in common with a low-class like me?” His expression was almost amused as he waited for a reply.

“Well, firstly, we’re both male.” Great, Donghae. Way to go.

Hyukjae raised an eyebrow.

“And secondly… we both live in the Haedal Empire.”

The eyebrow rose higher.

“Thirdly… um…”

The redhead was getting impatient. He exhaled quickly through his nose, ending the conversation exactly the same time as the brunette said something else. Something that made the hairs on his back rise.

“Goodbye, prince.”

“We can both fly?”

“W-what?!”

Hyukjae froze, considering, and then walked back to stand in front of the brunette.

“Am I wrong?” Donghae asked.

“Who told you?” Hyukjae knew that he had just admitted to that power, but he really needed to know how on earth this boy knew about it. It was a secret, only known by the people closest to him, and he was determined to keep it that way in order to not let others take advantage of him. But this boy knew.

“Nobody told me. When I watched you fight that other guy… I kinda figured it out. Because your movements were so light and powerful, you must’ve had some kind of support to be able to move like that in mid air… so…”

Even before Taemin could react, a hand grabbed the front of Donghae’s shirt and pulled him close to Hyukjae’s threatening eyes. “Don’t you dare tell anyone. If you do, I will make you regret it, prince or not. Understood?”

The shorter boy was forced to look into the dark pupils of the other, drawing him in, holding him in an unexplainable trance. All of a sudden, the trance was broken, and they both shivered with a knowledge that something was off, although neither knew what it was.

“Y-yes.” Donghae stuttered.

Hyukjae let go of him before Taemin’s patience ran out. He could see from the corner of his eyes- the skinny boy was highly anxious of what he might have done to Donghae. To his prince.

Hyukjae scoffed, and backed away further ready to leave. “Ok, you have some nice observational skills, but I have to go now. See you later. Or better yet, let this be our last meeting.”

“But...” Donghae’s eyebrows pulled downwards and the corners of his eyes followed the direction. Inside, Taemin smirked to himself. This will be interesting.

As expected, Hyukjae’s eyes widened at the brunette’s sudden change in expression, and he instinctively reflected on what he might have done wrong. That was the power of Prince Lee Donghae’s puppy dog eyes, after all.

“What’s wrong? What do you want? Stop looking at me like that.” Something was tickling Hyukjae on the inside; it was extremely uncomfortable.

“I haven’t found someone who treats me like a real person and not just the ‘Crown Prince’ in ages, and when I finally find one, you say you don’t want to see me ever again.” His eyes were turning glassy. Hyukjae frowned.

“I didn’t say that.” He protested.

“That’s what you meant.” Donghae sniffed, and the first tear finally broke out of its confines.

“Ok, ok, what do you want then? Just stop crying! You’re a boy, boys aren’t supposed to cry.”

“No. I’m a human, and you are too. All humans are allowed to cry. And I just wanted to have a friend who didn’t treat me as nothing but the Crown Prince. I want you to treat me the same way you did when we first met minutes ago.”

Hyukjae swallowed in the few second of silence that came next. The last thing he wanted was to get involved with someone from a high class, let alone someone from the royal family. But for this fair-skinned brunette with unbelievably sad eyes, he somehow couldn’t say no.

“Fine. As long as you’re alone- well, I suppose Taemin can’t really do much harm- as long as it’s just you two, I won’t act differently just because of who you are.”

Donghae glowed with joy. “So that means you’ll play with me?”

The redhead hesitated, and it was enough for the smile on the brunette’s face to fade away. Hastily, he replied, “Yep. But what do you mean by play-”

“Yay!” Donghae exclaimed. “Let’s go above and fly together! I know a place in the forest where no one will see us. It’ll be awesome!”

“Wait… when did I agree to going above ground with you? And flying together?!”

“Just now! Come on, let’s go!”

Hyukjae didn’t know how he let himself be dragged by the shorter boy, who was obviously weaker than him, and spend the whole afternoon together in laughter and joy. By the time he got home, he was exhausted from touching treetops with Donghae, rolling down grassy hillsides with Donghae, and smiling more times than he ever did in a whole week, just because of Donghae.

Hyukjae also didn’t know that in the years to come, he would be ‘invited’ by a certain Crown Prince to play with him countless times, even when he refused. Slowly but surely, they became used to each other’s company, and even Taemin felt like he no longer understood some of the things that the pair seemed to share together.

Donghae believed that he finally experienced the words ‘best friends’, whereas he had only read it in books before.

Hyukjae believed that one of the things he thought he was going to regret, which was meeting Donghae, turned out to be one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

The years flew by. Both boys reached adulthood.

Humans’ powers weakened faster each day.

 

☾☼ 

 

“Crown Prince? Are you awake? The Emperor wishes to see you. He is waiting in the main palace room for you, and all the generals are there too. Please get ready quickly.”

A mop of messy brown hair stirred beneath the covers, but its owner made no effort to rise. Donghae’s birthday was in a week’s time, and he knew that his father probably wanted to discuss how to celebrate his eighteenth birthday with him. It wasn’t important enough for the slugabed to leave his favourite place.

“Please, Crown Prince, the Emperor said that it was a very important matter, and has to do with your birthday. They are all waiting.” The voice behind the door was getting more and more desperate.

Donghae sighed, then pulled himself up, only because he didn’t want the messenger to get in trouble. Soon, he stepped through the threshold to the enormous hall, slightly surprised by the number of high-ranking generals already present. Was his birthday that important?

“Good morning, Your Highness. I apologize for being late.” At age seventeen, the Crown Prince was the pure definition of ‘handsomeness’, features of youth dominating his energetic form.

“Kneel down.” The Emperor commanded.

Donghae was shocked, but followed the order nevertheless. Why was his father suddenly so angry with him? He was only late to a meeting; it had happened before as well.

“Your Highness, I am sorry I was late. It won’t happen again.” He repeated, and put on his most repenting face. Surely his aegyo would get him through this.

“Crown Prince Lee Donghae, on behalf of our mighty Creator, I give you the task of finding a solution to the hindrances in the powers of humans in the Haedal Empire. I have been informed through a dream that you are to travel far away from the Empire palace, to the corners of the Empire, and even further if need be. You will leave after you turn eighteen years of age, which is in seven days, on the eighteenth of July.”

Now, Donghae finally understood why all the generals were here. This was the most significant issue regarding the Empire right now, and he felt honored to be given hopes like these.

“Your majesty, thank you for putting such trust in me. I will do all I can to accomplish the task, and will not fail the expectations of our Empire.” His shoulders squared with determination.

“Good. I will assign you a few soldiers to accompany you and protect you along the way. If you have no more questions, then you are free to go.”

“Your Highness, I just have one thing to ask, and I would be truly grateful I am allowed to make my own decision for this.”

“What is it?” The Emperor had never heard him ask for anything before, so he was genuinely curious.

“If it is possible, could I travel with people that I choose myself? With my powers, I am confident that I can protect myself, and also others too. I will remember my mission, so my companions will be chosen for their useful help to me.”

The Emperor paused, deciding between his son’s sincerity and possible over-confidence. “Very well. You may choose your own companions to travel the Empire together. Be careful, Donghae. Although you have the ability to fly, and also can manipulate lightning, there are many things which you have not yet encountered. Possibly not even heard of. Remember that your safety is the top priority. You may leave now.”

“Thank you, your majesty.” Donghae stood up, performed a deep bow, and left the hall.

He couldn’t wait to tell Hyukjae and Taemin.

 

☾☼ 

 

“And why do you think I’ll agree to go with you?” Hyukjae glanced up at him, then went back to being busy with sharpening a small dagger on a rock.

“Because you’ve always wanted to explore! It’ll be fun, I promise. Even though we can’t go to the moon, there’ll be so many exciting things we get to see!” The usually polite and controlled Crown Prince was talking animatedly opposite the redhead, hands flying everywhere- a sight that only a handful of people could see.

“I don’t know… it might be unsafe, and I can’t just leave all my friends…” His hands slowed, indicating that he was thinking seriously about it.

“But Hyukjae, I want you to go with me.” Donghae’s voice dragged out dangerously close to a whine.

“…..” The redhead continued to move the dagger across the rock, knowing that if he looked up, that pout would make all his reservations disappear just like that.

At last he sighed, giving in. He was worried the most about his mother, who had nobody but him to support her, but he trusted Jungkook to look after her while he was gone.

“Fine. But I’m bringing Kai with me.” He stated.

“Sure, I asked Taemin to come too, and he agreed. A lot easier than you.” Now that he was sure Hyukjae would go with him, he went back to their usual teasing.

“Well if Taemin agreed so easily then maybe you should just go with him alone.”

“But Hyukkie…!” Donghae laughed, in the way that brought the sun out. He loved seeing Hyukjae’s face scrunch up every time he called him that nickname.

“Oh, I almost forgot. There’s a celebration dinner next week for my birthday. Do you want to come?” the brunette asked, hopeful.

Hyukjae tensed unrecognizably. His sharpening movements got harsher. “What about mine? It’s bad enough that we have the same birthday. Are you now also depriving me of a present at my celebration?”

Donghae laughed again, and hit the side of Hyukjae’s neck. “Stop being so sour. Just see it as a celebration for the both of us, ok? Only we will know. And you can pick any present that I get, as long as you want it.”

Hyukjae stopped his movements, twisting the dagger to observe its sharpness. “Ok, don’t you dare go back on your words. Next week I’m going to take all the presents that you get, and you can’t complain one bit.”

“Are you not going to leave me anything? You’re not going to take my underwear as well, are you?” Behind the innocent concern was a cheekiness that only Donghae was allowed to do in front of Hyukjae.

“Speaking of underwear, who is the one who keeps on taking my clothes and then not returning them? Is the Crown Prince of Haedal so poor he can’t afford clothes?”  
“It was just one time!” The other raised an eyebrow. “Ok, maybe more than one time. But I said I’ll give them back. I just… forget.”

“Well, maybe you can return it now.” Hyukjae held up the dagger in his hands and hooked it under the top button of Donghae’s shirt. All of a sudden, the brunette forgot how to exhale. With a pop, it came off, and Donghae was sure that his ears were on fire.

“Hey! That was one of my favourite shirts! Now we’re even, and I don’t have to return any of your shirts anymore.” He faked displeasure to hide his embarrassment.

“No. When I take this shirt off you, then we’re even.” The redhead smirked, lifting his dagger again.

Donghae’s face was surely aglow. He scrambled up, trying to escape from Hyukjae’s evilly delighted laughter behind him.  

His head turned around to remind Hyukjae one last time. “Don’t forget! Next week, my birthday dinner! Just say your name, I’ll let the guards know!”

 

☾☼ 

 

Donghae hadn’t predicted that he didn’t get to see Hyukjae again, before the whole week’s preparations finally came to an end and his birthday arrived. As he stood there, exhausted but having to smile and greet everyone who entered, he wondered when that interesting face would appear and allow him to finally smile genuinely.

Outside the palace, a hundred meters away, a redhead was arguing heatedly with the palace guard.

“No, you listen to me. I’m a friend of Donghae’s, and he invited me-” Hyukjae tried to stay calm, but the guard was refusing to listen.

“How dare you call the Crown Prince by his name? Go annoy someone else, you little beggar. Today is the Crown Prince’s eighteenth birthday, so I’ll be kind to you and not throw you in jail for disrespecting his majesty.”

“I’m going to tell you one last time. My name is Hyukjae, and the prince invited me to come-”

“I don’t care what your name is. If you don’t leave now, your name will be prisoner no.486. So bugger off.” His mind was made up the moment he saw the stitch marks on the young adult’s clothes. He didn’t bother to even check the guest list.

Hyukjae gave him a pitiful look, and left without a word. The guard was confused but dismissed it.

The moment the redhead turned around, another guard returned from his break and stood back in front of the entrance.

“Is everything ok?” He asked the former.

“Yeah, nothing I can’t handle. Just some young beggars looking for trouble everywhere they go.”

The second guard eyed the back view of Hyukjae as he walked away, suddenly remembering something he was asked when he passed the Crown Prince on his break. “The Crown Prince just reminded me to look out for one of his friends who still hasn’t arrived. Someone named… Hyukjae? So keep that in mind when you let people through, ok?”

The first guard froze, feeling a scary familiarity in that name. No, it couldn’t be. Why would the prince be friends with a beggar? He looked towards the corner where Hyukjae disappeared, and hoped with all his might that the boy the prince was waiting for would arrive later.

Back inside the palace. Donghae waited for the whole night.

Hyukjae never appeared.

 

☾☼ 

 

The second day, Donghae didn’t know how to act when Hyukjae showed up. If he showed up at all. The brunette guessed that the other might have been annoyed that he didn’t visit for a whole week, so he didn’t come to his birthday celebration. Donghae scolded himself for not sending a message to him, thinking that it wasn’t needed when apparently, it was.

Hyukjae did come in the end. As Donghae stood in front of the Emperor, with Hyukjae to his left, Taemin to his right, and Kai besides Hyukjae, all four of them thanked the Emperor for putting his trust in them, then got ready to leave.

Their belongings were already packed onto four horses, waiting for them to mount.

“Can you even ride?” Kai teased Taemin, who honestly looked like the horse could snap him in half. The grin was wiped off completely when he blinked, and Taemin was already on top, holding the reins ready to go.

“Can you even get on?” he replied coolly, thinking that using his powers was worth the taken aback expression on the darker boy.

Kai narrowed his eyes, then pulled himself up as well. He had seen Taemin with the Crown Prince when they came to see Hyukjae, and they had also met on accident in a situation that Kai wished to erase from his history. Every since, Taemin had been considerably cold to him, and although he trusted the redhead completely, he was still wary about these two. Especially Taemin.

Being nearly a year older than Hyukjae, Kai had befriended the boy who lived opposite him, and together they had fought the way to the top of their little group, taking charge over their underground area. In that place, you talked with your fists, not your mouth. But Kai had a way with people, finding it effortless to get people to trust him, and Hyukjae was a natural, smart fighter. It was no wonder then, when teamed together, the two were admired by peers at ages as early as fourteen.

Kai pulled his gaze back from the skinny boy and looked back to where Hyukjae and Donghae were standing, awkwardness settling as silence between them. Neither tried to break it. The oldest boy rolled his eyes, wanting them to just hurry up so they could leave quickly and come back quickly.

“Hyukjae, why did you ditch us last night on your birthday? And then you came back looking pissed as hell.” He called in their direction.

Donghae turned to look at Hyukjae, boring his eyes straight into the other’s. “You left your friends last night and you also didn’t come to mine? Where did you go?”

The redhead ran a hand through his hair, and muttered, “Your guard wouldn’t let me in.”

Something flamed inside the brunette who understood at once. “Did you hear that?” He asked the servant closest to him through gritted teeth.

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Why don’t you go book a hearing check for the guards on duty that day, since I specifically told them to look out for my friend named Hyukjae? And while you’re at it, give them an opportunity to stand in front of the toilets, since they apparently need to practice their guarding abilities.

“Understood, your majesty. How long should they be ‘given the opportunity’ to work in the cleansing area?”

“How long do you think, Hyukjae?” Donghae asked the person beside him.

The redhead replied with a wicked grin. “Until we get back.”

“You heard him.” Donghae sent the servant away. He handed over Hyukjae’s reins. “So you weren’t mad at me?”

“Why would I be mad at you?” Hyukjae jumped off the ground with one foot, gracefully swinging his leg over and landing on top of the stallion. “I’m only regretting all those presents that I wasn’t able to steal.”

The brunette smiled, and he too lifted himself onto his ride. He was glad that they were back to normal again.

Waving back to the Emperor and Imperial Concubine sending them off, the group of four started their journey with no idea what was waiting for them. They didn’t even know if there was an answer to the task that they were given, but all four were determined to do all they could to help preserve the powers of their own species. It was in humans' nature to help others unconditionally, after all.

 

☾☼ 

 

The first town they reached was just outside the palace, and Donghae sincerely hoped that it was in the worst situation, compared to other towns. There was a depression evident in everyone’s faces, which the four had gotten used to seeing in the past few years. But never had they been forced to study them closely in the hopes of trying to see the solution linked to the problem. Never had they been hit with the full force of how tragic it really was.

The group asked around for some details on exactly when the powers started to fade, yet few people were actively trying to help. They were so used to being immersed in sorrow and hopelessness every day, they had given up on the possibility of things returning to what they used to be like.

Even Kai shook his head. He did get some people to open up to him, but they didn’t have any useful information anyways.

The four agreed to keep on going and not waste any time here. When it was night, they would find a temporary place to stay, be it a lodging, a cave, or an old temple built for their one Creator. In the day, they would travel further and further away from the Empire palace, pleased to see the problem of disappearing powers getting less severe with the distance they moved, but frustrated that they still had no clue on the cause or solution.

Their spirits diminished with time. It seemed like they were going nowhere after a whole six months.

Then, they came to their first lake.

There were only two main lakes in the Haedal Empire that required a ship to get across. The others were all small rivers, easily crossed by walking or swimming. Donghae was the most eager to surround himself with nothing but water on all four sides, lifting the group’s mood for the first time in weeks. The next ship would depart in a few hours, so they had some time to kill by the beach.

Donghae ran like a little kid into the waters, shouting and kicking with his bare feet. He opened his arms, feeling the swoosh of wind dancing around every inch of his body, and screamed when he was picked up from behind and thrown butt-first into the water.

The redhead backed away onto the shore, clutching his stomach and doubling over in laughter.

Donghae made a sound of protest, swearing for his revenge, and began to chase Hyukjae along the whole length of the beach before he grabbed him and pushed him into the water also.

A few meters away, Kai rolled his eyes and lay down to sunbathe. He had wanted to go into the water too, but a look from Hyukjae told him that he had to stay and try to make things better with Taemin. The other two had watched them interact tensely everyday for the past months, and it was becoming unbearable for everyone. He didn’t expect Taemin to also lie down beside him, as he had guessed that the reason for his pale complexion was due to a dislike for the sun.

“I thought you would hide beneath an umbrella or something.” He questioned.

“I have nothing to hide, Jongin. Unlike someone else.” Taemin retorted.

“How many times have I told you? It’s Kai. And just because you saw me dealing drugs that one time, doesn’t mean I kept on doing it. Those were desperate times. It’s not like you haven’t done anything you’ve regretted.” He put both hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

Taemin tilted his head to peer towards the fitter boy, who was putting down all his guard in this moment under the sun. Being born and raised inside the palace, Taemin was taught from a young age what was right and what was wrong. But, his views changed in the months he spent with Kai, and he decided that nothing could be solely labeled as being ‘wrong’. There were more factors to consider; the most important thing wasn’t what happened, it was what would happen afterwards.

He put his head back and closed his eyes too, but not before he caught a glimpse of two entwined figures falling into the lake.

Ah, young love.

Bubbles rose from Donghae’s opened mouth underwater in his attempt to scold Hyukjae for making them fall again. By the time they untangled themselves and stood up, both were drenched from head to toe.

“Ok, let’s stop now. Don’t spend all of our energy before we even get on the ship.” Hyukjae put up a hand, palm facing the shorter boy, before moving it to unbutton his shirt.

“W-what are you doing?” Donghae stuttered, his eyes not knowing where to look.

“My shirt is wet.” Hyukjae replied matter-of-factly. He lay down on the sand, propping himself up with his elbows, letting sunlight coat every edge of his bare upper body.

He had absolutely no idea of the redness starting to colour the brunette’s cheeks. Or the way a pair of eyes raked over his body, drinking in the smoothly defined muscles, following a single drop of liquid on its way down a slope.

“I’m going to get some water.” Donghae announced, and escaped before he got a nosebleed.

Back on the sand, Hyukjae’s eyes remained closed, but the corner of his plump lips curved upwards into a full grin.

 

☾☼ 

 

Once they had crossed the lake, the atmosphere on the other side was remarkably different. The four walked through town for a while, before they realised that the thing they saw here, which they hadn’t seen for a while, was hope. The people were expecting something.

Kai caught a passing man and greeted him, introducing the group as having come a long distance to get here.

“So, what’s the occasion? Why is everyone so excited?” He asked.

“Oh, welcome! We’re having our annual lantern festival tonight, so make sure you’re out on the streets to have fun. There’s also a belief that if you set off a lantern at midnight with your wishes written on it, then the Creator will make it come true!” The man smiled warmly at them, raising alarms in Kai.

“If you don’t mind me asking, are the powers of your townspeople still stable? Have they not decreased at all?”

“Well, I’ve heard that there have been some people who said their powers are getting more and more tiring to use, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“It was just a random question.” Donghae jutted in. “Thank you for welcoming us. We will definitely be celebrating the festival.” He led the group away.

“Something’s suspicious.” Kai declared. “There’s nothing different about this town, but why is everyone so positive? It’s like they don’t even care that their powers will eventually disappear.”

“I think you’ve been studying the mindset of the depressed citizens too much, Kai.” Hyukjae said. “You’re starting to think like them. You’ve got to remember that being negative and pessimistic is not the norm. Just because that’s all we’ve seen, doesn’t mean it should be like that.”

“Hyukjae’s right.” Taemin agreed as well. “This might be the first, or the only town that hasn’t reached that state yet, so it’s our biggest hope. If we find out how they’ve managed to maintain their positivity, maybe we can find a way to restore normal use of powers in the empire.”

“It’s settled then. We won’t travel further- we’ll stay in this town and see what we find.” Donghae decided. “Let’s have a rest from our trip across the lake, and go to this lantern festival tonight!”

Hyukjae scoffed at the childishness coming out in Donghae. Though to be honest, he too had missed the sight of happy people, who weren’t living miserably from losing their powers. And about that belief with the lanterns granting a wish…

Hyukjae always thought that those types of things were just myths. But if you believed in them, truly believed with all your faith, then you might be rewarded with it becoming a reality.

 

☾☼ 

 

“Hyukjae! Look!” The redhead followed the arm, which was pointing towards a performer breathing fire, and chuckled. He searched around for the other two, but they had gone off on their own. Taking his gaze back, he watched the brunette put a whole sugared hawthorn into his mouth, pulling it off the end of the stick, then smiling contentedly with eyes closed at the crunchy deliciousness.

“Is it really that good?” The shorter boy was making it seem too appetizing.

Donghae licked the next one like it was a lollipop, and replied, “Yes. You should really try one.”

But Hyukjae was no longer focused on the treat. He averted his gaze from the pink tongue, walking forward hastily. “No thanks. I don’t like sweet things, anyways.”

The brunette hesitated from the other’s sudden distantness, but being the goldfish he was, immediate caught his attention on something else

“Hyukjae! Hyukjae! Look! It’s a crystal statue of our Creator! He’s got everything that the books say he has- shoulder-length wavy hair, pink on his eyelids, scarlet lips…. Hyukjae, can you buy this for me? Please?” Donghae held up the statue excitedly, turning it upside down to examine the details, and smiled wider at all the careful components.

“Where’s your own money? Wait, no, let me guess. You forgot to bring it?” Hyukjae judged him disapprovingly, but his hand reached inside his pocket to pull out some money with unbelievable naturalness.

“Yay! Thanks Hyukjae! You’re the best!” Donghae carefully put the statue into his own bag, then threw his arms around Hyukjae, thanking him with a hug.

“You are so sweet, to take your boyfriend out on a date, and then buy him a present.” The old grandma behind the table beamed at the pair after taking Hyukjae’s money.

 “Oh, no… we’re not…” Donghae looked desperately to Hyukjae for help.

“Thank you.” Hyukjae smiled towards the elder. “I can’t exactly say no when he wants something this bad.”

Now Donghae was sporting a full-on blush, and he abruptly dragged Hyukjae away from the little shop to avoid the grandma’s staring.

“Why did you say that!” Donghae blamed him. “She’ll have the wrong impression of us now!”

“Well, I didn’t lie.” Hyukjae shrugged, maintaining eye contact with the brunette.

“Yes, you did!”

“No I didn’t. Are you a boy?” Hyukjae asked.

Donghae knew where he was going with this. “Yes, but-”

“Are you my friend?” Hyukjae continued.

“Well, yes, but-”

“Then it’s settled. I didn’t lie.”

“-But I’m not your boyfriend!” Donghae felt his eyes getting wetter. His snack had slipped out of his hands, but he didn’t notice.

Hyukjae stayed silent. He just stared into those warm brown eyes. Then his voice dropped an octave lower. “Is it because you don’t want to be?”

No. No, this was going too fast for him.

“Hyukjae… I only saw us as-”

“It’s ok. I get it.” The redhead’s expression tightened. Disappointment clouded his senses

“No, you don’t understand-”

“What is there to understand? That I was an idiot for ever thinking that the almighty Crown Prince would ever associate himself with a… person like me?” Hyukjae laughed at the brick wall in front of him, having turned 90 degrees from his previous position of facing Donghae.

He couldn’t see Donghae’s face, but Donghae could see his. Hyukjae’s side profile sagged down from lack of self-esteem. His single eyelids covered almost half of his eyes.

“It’s not that. It’s just…” Donghae trailed off. That was a mistake.

“See, you can’t even bring yourself to say it. It’s alright. Actually, it’s better this way. Because what kind of boyfriend would I be, if I couldn’t even go to my boyfriend’s birthday dinner just because of the way I was dressed? What kind of boyfriend would I be, who likes that these diamonds or crystals or whatever make you happy, but I don’t fucking understand any of the histories because I’ve never read a book in my life?”

Donghae’s face felt wet. And cold.

“Just… forget I said anything. I’m going to go back now. See you tomorrow, Donghae.”

The redhead began to walk away. It wasn’t until he nearly disappeared from his sight, that Donghae found his speech and movement again.

“Wait, Hyukjae-”

“NO!”

“...Donghae!”

A flash so bright, he thought this was it. He’d either go blind, or die.

But what came more instantly, even more unexpectedly, was the water. Like someone had poured a whole bucket of water over his head.

Donghae wiped some off his eyes with the back of his hand so he could see again. In front of him, a few meters away, was Hyukjae. His hand was outstretched, a horrified expression on his face, and the pose urgently reminded Donghae of something he knew.

Then it clicked. That was the exact same pose he had five years ago, when he had stunned the boy who was going to attack Hyukjae. He had shot out lightning from his very fingertips…

Donghae’s eyes widened, mirroring Hyukjae’s. The water… where did it come from? Was it maybe… Hyukjae?

“Hey, kid, you’re not allowed to step pass this boundary. Ok?” It was the man breathing fire from before. “You’re lucky that one over there knows water, or else your head would be burnt to a crisp right now!” Some people laughed, and the tension from the almost-disaster was mostly gone.

He saw something flash in Hyukjae’s eyes. But before he could do anything else, the redhead bolted, leaving him alone and dripping wet.

Donghae had never been more shocked and confused.

But first, he needed to find Hyukjae.

 

☾☼ 

 

He found him sitting on the grassy bank behind their temporary lodging. Hyukjae’s wine-coloured hair lifted softly in the night breeze, the moonlight casting oversized shadows behind the figure with his arms wrapped around his legs. It was a peaceful sight. Unbelievably sad, but calm at the same time.

Donghae carefully stepped next to him and sat down too. He expected the redhead to return his gaze when he turned his head to look at him, but instead of dark eyes, he only saw that angular jawline, tilted upwards towards the sky.

He was looking at the moon.

“I was born in a temple.” Hyukjae murmured.

Donghae fixed his stare on a stray flower in front, listening attentively.

“There was only one old midwife, who stayed with my mother because she pitied her. There was nobody else there. Just us three.”

The flower swayed back and forth in the wind. It was listening, too.

“My mother was abandoned by my father because… she was accused of cheating on him. In the time period that I was predicted to have been conceived, my father was away from home. So they accused her of cheating.”

The swaying became more violent. Donghae wondered if it would break off and blow away.

“Then they kicked her out and left her on the streets to fend for herself. If she didn’t find an elderly couple who let her stay, she would be… I wouldn’t be…”

The wind stopped. Hyukjae’s tears were finally able to fall vertically.

“She found a broken loom and fixed it herself. All those years, she used the money made from weaving clothes to keep me alive. She would never lie to me, Donghae. She told me that she didn’t cheat. So she didn’t.”

Donghae wanted to put an arm around the other. He held himself back in fear that it would stop him from talking.  
“All my life, all I ever wanted was to make her life less uncomfortable. I fought with others, stole sometimes, just so that I could put one more piece of bread on the table.”

He suddenly looked at Donghae. The pain in his eyes was heartbreaking. “But you wouldn’t understand that. Your life is the complete opposite of mine. How could I ever think of trying to get colours from mixing black and white?”

Donghae’s heart throbbed dully. They weren’t that different. If only Hyukjae knew.  
“That’s why, I didn’t want to get involved with a royal. Someone who wouldn’t understand what I went through. But you were so persistent… No, it was my fault. I should never have agreed to you in the first place. It would have saved me all this… pain.”

Donghae couldn’t hold back any longer. “Hyukjae, I’ve heard your story. Now, you listen to mine. Because we are similar in ways you wouldn’t believe.”

Hyukjae wiped the last of his tears away. Then he stared at Donghae’s unusual seriousness.

“My father- the Emperor- loved my mother very much. So much that he never touched her because she ‘wasn’t ready’.”

Hyukjae’s eyes widened. “But you-”

“Before she became a concubine, my mother was a courtesan. She was one of the most famous courtesans in the red house, and had someone whom she loved, who wasn’t my father.”

Donghae paused, all the memories coming back to him.

“My father loved her very much, and promised her a comfortable life in the palace, although she couldn’t be Empress. My mother told me that the one she loved also supported this decision, because he himself wasn’t wealthy enough to get her out of the red house. When my mother became pregnant… everyone who knew about her history doubted her faithfulness, and many tried to find a way to kill me because of that.”

Hyukjae edged closer to the brunette. He wanted him to stop talking, to stop experiencing the hurt all over again, but he knew that Donghae needed to speak it all out.

“My father kept his word though. He made sure that she was well protected, and I was born unharmed. He knew that whoever my father was, it wasn’t him, but love can really make you do incredible things sometimes. He accepted me as his own, and even gave me this title, just because I was her child.”

Donghae gave a small smile.

“I trust my mother wholeheartedly too. So if both our mothers didn’t lie to us, then we both don’t have a father.”

“But… how is that even possible? Isn’t a man and a women both needed for… babies… to be born?” Hyukjae faltered midsentence, slightly embarrassed to be discussing this topic with Donghae.

“Yes, but… I don’t know either. I’m just saying, though, that it’s scary how similar we are, if you look at it in this way too.”

Hyukjae fell silent. He thought about their shared ability of flying, and then remembered his newly discovered power of water. It was strange; most people discovered any powers they had before they were five. He had never heard of someone gaining a power after eight, let alone eighteen years of age. Donghae was the only exception.

Donghae noticed the redhead’s uncertainty as the other looked at his own hands, and guessed that he was probably thinking about his newfound powers.

Suddenly, something gleamed in Hyukjae’s hair and Donghae doubted if it was the moonlight playing tricks on his eyes. He leaned closer, his head above Hyukjae’s own head that was hanging low, and confirmed his suspicions.

“Your hair is silver!” He exclaimed.

Hyukjae lifted his head swiftly in reflex, knocking into Donghae’s chin and earning cries of pain from both of them.

“I’m sorry!” Hyukjae rushed, rubbing his own head sheepishly. “My hair… is actually silver. My mother said that it would attract lots of unwanted attention, since most hair colours around us were black and brown, so she made me some hair dye to cover it up. She said that red would cover silver up the best.

Donghae was so excited he could jump up and run around in circles. But first, he tested his jaw to make sure he could still talk properly. “That’s unbelievable! I mean, there are cases of people getting unusual hair colours, so it’s believable, but the unbelievable thing is that I’ve found another similarity between us!”

“You don’t mean-"

“My hair colour is also not naturally brown. My hair colour is actually… why don’t you guess?” The playfulness came back to the eighteen year old, and his eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Is it… blue?” Hyukjae tried weakly.

Donghae frowned in disappointment, though it passed quickly. “No, it’s gold! Well, kind of a metallic blonde, but I think it’s gold. My father told me to dye it a normal colour so that I could be closer to the citizens of the Empire.”

Both boys peered upwards at each other’s hair, a feeling stirring in their chests at the number of unpredicted parallels they shared. Even though no one said anything about it, neither believed that it was all just one big coincidence.

A veil of guilt covered Hyukjae’s face and his head dropped. “About what I said before… I’m sorry.” He hadn’t given Donghae a chance to speak before those words came out.

“No, it’s ok.” Donghae put his hand over the other’s, feeling the cool grass underneath both their fingers. Hyukjae’s hand twitched, but he didn’t move away.

“If I didn’t want to be associated with you, do you think I would have asked you to travel with me? Do you think I would have asked you to come to my birthday celebration, where all my family would be there?” The brunette explained. Hyukjae felt even more guilty.

Donghae quickly changed to a softer tone. “But it’s my fault too. I shouldn’t have given you that impression. The truth is…”

Hyukjae waited. After nothing followed, he lifted his head and Donghae’s enlarged face came into view. They were too close.

“You can’t just… ask me like that. There was no warning.” The tips of his ears were burning red, visible under the moonlight.

“Are you prepared now, then?” Hyukjae’s hand flipped over, clutching Donghae’s in a tight grasp.

Donghae’s heart skipped a beat. He opened his mouth reply, but no words came out. Just as he was about to nod, something caught his attention in the distance, and he sprung up, taking Hyukjae along with him.

“They’ve started lighting the lanterns! Come on, if we hurry, we can still make a wish in time!”

The two ran towards the bank of the lake, where everyone was currently crowded around, and bought two lanterns in haste. Donghae asked a little girl nearby if he could borrow her pens, then stuffed one into Hyukjae’s hand, urging him to write his wish quickly before the countdown started. A few scribbles from Donghae and some neat characters from Hyukjae later, the first of twelve chimes started to reverberate over their heads.

“What did you wish for?” Hyukjae asked, his hand finding its way back to link with Donghae’s.

“I wished for us to find a way to complete our mission,” Donghae replied, their fingers interweaving. “So that we can go home soon.”

Hyukjae hummed, understanding Donghae’s nostalgia.

“What did you wish for?” the question was directed back.

“I wished for… the same thing.” Hyukjae chuckled. “But I also added a bit at the end.”

“What did you add?”

Hyukjae only smiled, lifting his glowing lantern into the air. Donghae followed his motion, and on the twelfth chime, they let go together.

Above them, the velvet night sky was no longer embellished with only the twinkling of stars. Thousands of lanterns spread across the visible space, rising steadily into the clouds, where hopefully, they would be answered by someone.

The night breeze sent shivers through Donghae’s body, yet the soothing warmth that dissolved into his hand turned chilliness into excitement. Even though the walk back to their lodging was mostly in silence, the thoughts that they were both deeply immersed in were about each other

Reaching the door to their room, which all four boys were sharing, Hyukjae stopped and paused. Instead of letting things happen as they did, he decided that life was too short to not follow your feelings once in a while. Even if those feelings did not originate from a rational source.

“Do you want to know what I added onto my lantern?” He said, his voice low, not giving anything away

“Yes.” Donghae replied in a similar low voice.

Hyukjae led him down the hallway, past a couple more rooms, and finally stopped at one with dusty handles. After checking inside to confirm that this room wasn’t already occupied, he held the door open with one hand, beckoning the brunette to go in.

Donghae cocked his head to the side, but after seeing Hyukjae’s indescribable stare, he shuffled inside the small room containing one double bed.

Donghae wasn’t naïve. He had felt a weirdness coming from Hyukjae all night, and now, alone with him in this almost cramped room, Donghae wished desperately to not embarrass himself, at the very least.

Hyukjae locked the door behind him, then stepped in front of Donghae. The half-a-head-shorter boy succeeded in looking everywhere but the other’s face, until his chin was caught by a large hand and brought to face the redhead.

Donghae closed his eyes in desperation, which he regretted almost instantly. His other senses were magnified to make up for his loss of sight, and he was sure that his cheeks were definitely aglow from the sound of heavy breaths in his ear, the familiar scent in his nose, and the soft puffs of air that landed on his lips.

“Wait,” Donghae let go of Hyukjae’s hand and pushed him lightly. “I’m not as… experienced as you probably are. Just give me a second.”

He wanted to be alone for a moment so he could calm down as much as possible, but there wasn’t even a bathroom in the tiny room. Just a double bed, a bedside table, and a closet. Donghae was not going to climb into the closet.

He missed the way Hyukjae’s fingers curled at the loss of contact, and the frustration that was tinted in his eyes. “Experienced? If anything, you know more than me- you’re the one who read all those books.”

The brunette shook his head. “No. Well… I might have read about it, but…. No.” His eyes darted left and right, not knowing where to put his hands. It wasn’t an exaggeration- he actually couldn’t remember the position his hands were normally in. It was one of the worst things to be self-aware of situations you never took notice of before.

“It’s ok,” Hyukjae stepped forward, trapping Donghae between him and the wall. “We can learn about it together, then.”

Donghae still wanted to protest, but his lips were denied the chance to speak as a set of plumper ones pressed softly upon them.

Hyukjae drew back slightly, his eyes unfocused from their proximity. “Will you learn with me?” He breathed onto Donghae’s lips.

The brunette understood everything that was in those five words. It wasn’t just asking him to be a reckless teenager for a night, where they would pretend nothing happened in the morning. There was something else in there; something much more rare; something that propelled Donghae forward and gave him the courage to close the meager gap between them again.

He couldn’t remember when their mouths opened to let the other in, or when they started sucking on the other’s lips like it was an essential need. It felt like a lifetime, although it was too short, and the two boys panted harshly for much needed air in the seconds of rest they gave each other. Then lips latched onto lips again, and more fireworks exploded brilliantly behind closed eyelids, both their worlds consisting of nothing but the person holding them, kissing them, relishing them in the sweetest way possible.

He didn’t notice they had moved towards the bed until they were already on it, Hyukjae over him, fingers still tangled in his hair and lips still working wonders to his own ones. Donghae gasped loudly when the redhead finally let go of his swollen lips, only to move downwards and kiss a trail down his jaw, over his Adam’s apple, all the way to his collarbones.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered to the smooth skin dipping low then curving back up.

Donghae’s lips trembled. “Hyukjae… Hyuk…”

Without warning, the redhead sank his teeth lightly into the flesh he had been tasting earlier, closing his lips around the area and marking Donghae as his own. “Say that again.” He demanded.

“Ah… H-Hyuk… please….”

Satisfied with his artwork, Hyukjae began to unbutton Donghae’s shirt, not expecting to be stopped by the person below.

“No… you first.” Hooded eyes peered up at him.

Hyukjae chuckled, grabbing the collar of his shirt with both hands and pulling it off in one take. Donghae felt something stir from the unbelievably hot motion, then quickly gasped when his own chest was met with cool air. Hyukjae placed his hands at Donghae’s sides, just above his waistband, rubbing circles around the protruding bones to elicit moans that would be inevitably muffled by his own mouth.

“Do you trust me?” Hyukjae murmured, aware of the exaggerated rising and falling motion of the other’s chest.

“Or do you want me to trust you?” The redhead asked again when there was no response.

The truth was, Donghae had forgotten how to speak from the last few minutes, when all his tongue had done was to be sucked on and devoured

The brunette crossed his hands behind the other’s neck, bringing him down again. “I trust you.” He smiled into the kiss, anticipation doing backflips in his stomach and heart.

The sky outside was quiet, dotted with wish-carrying lanterns floating higher and higher.

Inside the room, endless grunts and moans filled the limited space, making even the listening birds blush.

Tonight was destined to be a dreamless night.

 

☾☼ 

 

“How did this happen? How did you let it happen? Are you blind or do you just spend all of your time doing your hair and makeup?”

“This is natural beauty, Bora, don’t be jealous of me. And the one who should be blamed is you. You’re the one who’s closer to them, I had to come down all the way from the sky whereas you were just a second away, in the ocean.”

“You know very well that it takes the same amount of time for me to come up and you to come down, Heechul. This is your fault as much as mine. Well, what are we supposed to do now?”

Of all the things Hyukjae expected to be woken by, it was not two blurry figures at the foot of their bed, fire emanating from their eyes and voices. In his arms, Donghae stirred, and screamed shortly when he noticed the two as well. He couldn’t be blamed- they were both still naked after all.

“Who are you?” Hyukjae asked carefully. He had a feeling that they weren’t just random people who accidentally came into their room. Glancing to the side, he saw that the lock was still on. Did these people know how to teleport?

“You don’t need to know, monkey. You should be the one answering my question. How dare you tarnish my cute little Donghae?” The one named Heechul reminded Hyukjae of something, but he couldn’t pinpoint it. He had just gone to sleep an hour ago, and the exhaustion made him a bit slow.

“He is not a monkey, you condescending ass. He is a phoenix, the first in the world, and he’s the one tarnished by your stupid bird.” Bora’s eyes narrowed in distaste toward Donghae, who instinctively recoiled from the unpleasantness coming from the beautiful woman with ebony waves.

Hyukjae’s eyes focused a bit more and found that he wasn’t able to see the two figures clearly, no matter how hard he tried. He could distinguish their overall shape and build, but it was as if everything about them was filtered so that if you took your eyes off, there was no way you remembered what they looked like.

“Well my ‘stupid’ bird is smarter than your monkey. Wait, he’s not a bird. He is a dragon, the first in the world, and he was supposed to make everything right again.” With these words, Heechul glared at Hyukjae again, as if blaming him for hindering Donghae’s progress in ‘making everything right’.

The redhead felt the brunette tense up, and turned his head to check if he was ok. He gasped in surprise at the golden shine of the other’s hair, which caused Donghae to gasp the same way in return at Hyukjae’s wispy silver hair.

Bang!

The door burst open and through it, Kai fell forward, followed by Taemin with an unreadable expression on his face. Donghae recognized it to be the one he had whenever he caught Donghae stealing sweets from the kitchen cupboards, when they were little. It always made Donghae feel guilty, although he didn’t know why he should be feeling guilty right now.

Oh wait. He was lying in bed with Hyukjae. Naked.

The blushing brunette- no, golden blonde- pulled the cover up as much as he could to hide what he could, but it was no use. Taemin continued to judge him through his eyes, and Kai’s mouth opened so wide it nearly touched the floor.

“Hi Kai. Hi Taemin.” Hyukjae greeted nonchalantly.

“What are you doing?! Why is your hair like that? You two disappeared for the whole night, and then we heard a scream from somewhere around here so we came to check, and you’re…” Kai swung his hands around, incredulous. “And who are these two? What are they doing here? What the fuck is going on?”

“Well, Jongin, I thought you’d be smarter than this. It’s why I allowed you to stay by Hyukjae and help him. But if you need the situation explained, Hyukjae and Donghae spent the night together. So they’re together now, as much as we dislike it.” Bora muttered the last half-line. “And for us… I suppose it wouldn’t do anyone harm to know. I am Bora, goddess of the sea. This is Heechul, goddess of the sky.”

“Fuck you, Bora. I’ve told you before, I’m not a goddess. I’m the god AND goddess of the sky.” Heechul threw her a dirty look.

Bora laughed, and everyone except for Heechul was momentarily dazed by her smile. “Gods don’t have gender, Heechul. It’s just a title. And you’re only half in charge of the sky.”

“Who’s the other half then?” Donghae spoke for the first time that morning, if his scream didn’t count as speech. “Also, what you two said about what Hyukjae and I are…. is it true?”

“Yes.” Bora replied. She saw no reason why their creations should still be kept in the dark about their origins. “Hyukjae, eighteen years ago, I created you. The waves that Donghae is named after… they actually happened because I gave you some of my powers of the sea.”

There wasn’t a sound in the room. All four humans were trying to process the information. Heechul was boredly checking his reflection in a mirror.

“My dearest brother here created Donghae on the same night. So much for adoring him, only to give him a little spark to celebrate his birth.”

“Hey! It was lightning, not a spark! Donghae, zap her for being rude to me. Ugh, the worst thing about being siblings is that you’re not allowed to fight each other.”

“Wait… if you two are brother and sister, and created Donghae and Hyukjae respectively, then doesn’t that mean that this is…” Everyone looked to Taemin, who paused before uttering the last word.

“…incest?”

This time, Heechul laughed along with Bora who had tears in her eyes.

“Oh, Taemin. We created them, not gave birth to them. Do you think that they are the only humans we’ve ever created? They are the only ones who were created for an unusual purpose, which was to…” Bora trailed off. The gravity of the situation came back to the two gods.

“Which was to find a solution for the humans’ fading powers.” Heechul finished for her. “The Creator told us that something like this would happen, and said that we only need to create two humans with this purpose in mind, then it will all be solved. But now that you two have gotten so sidetracked, what’s going to happen to your species?”

“Wait, so… you two aren’t the Creator?” Kai asked.

“No. Humans have mistakened my brother as the Creator, and even made statues and drawings of him, but the Creator has been gone for a long time now. We’re just his descendants. Our job was to make sure the humans were ok. Not watch our creations, who were supposed to help us in this, fall in love with each other.”

Hyukjae tightened his arm around Donghae. No matter who tried to get in between them, be it humans or even gods, he would try his hardest to stay by the other.

There was a flash, temporarily blinding the humans, and it faded to reveal another man standing beside Heechul. Hyukjae finally understood how he had woken up to find the two trespassers in the room with the door still locked.

The newcomer had softer features than the two gods, although it was clear that he, too, was one of them. He stared at Heechul and Bora as if he was talking to them, but his lips stayed shut and no sound came out. Donghae realised that they were communicating with their minds.

Seconds later, the eyebrows of the two ‘goddesses’ smoothed out, and they looked relieved.

“I’ll take care of this.” The third god told them. Heechul and Bora nodded, circling the bed to kiss their respective creations on the forehead, then disappeared in another intense white light.

“I am Leeteuk, god of the sky, where I rule together with Heechul. I would like to thank you two for solving the problem regarding the power of humans, and wish you all the best in all your lives.”

Donghae and Hyukjae widened their eyes in confusion, simultaneously. “But we didn’t do anything!”

Kai and Taemin were also puzzled. “How are the humans going to get their powers back?”

“They won’t,” the god simply replied. “Haven’t you realised that, for humans, physical powers are actually redundant? How many times do you truly use your powers, except for showing it off to people?”

The four sank into silence. It was true. Now that they thought about it, they used their powers little to never, and they still survived fine. So was that the answer?

“I still don’t get how we helped, though.” Donghae wondered. They did literally nothing, but a god was thanking them?

“You two helped to create a new power that will be passed down in all humans from now on. When we remake life, we will keep that power in mind, because it alone is strong enough to preserve humanity.”

“What’s that?” Hyukjae asked. But Leeteuk only smiled, and left in another blinding flash.

“Good job, phoenix and dragon.” His last words echoed off the walls of the tiny room.

The four friends looked at each other. Was this the end?

Donghae finally recovered from the shock of the visiting gods, and shrieked towards the standing pair before hiding underneath the covers. “Get out!”

Hyukjae laughed, indicating with his head the same order Donghae had given, then joined him under the covers.

Taemin and Kai left before they could be scarred even further.

Above them, Heechul returned his vision as he arrived back, pleased with how things had turned out.

“Are you going to be sad when they die?” Leeteuk appeared beside him.

“You are probably the best mood-ruiner in the world. No, in all the worlds.” Heechul rolled his eyes.

Looking below together, they watched as Donghae and Hyukjae grew older, taking over the Empire, until at last they left the world in one united flame.

Heechul wiped a tear from his eyes. He hated how the passing of time was different up here compared to down there. He hated how quickly Donghae and Hyukjae finished this lifetime.

“Hey, it’s ok,” reassured the one next to him. “They will be born again. It will be different, but the same things will repeat, and they will fall in love again.”

Heechul responded with an otherworldly smile. Yes, history would repeat itself, and they would be together again.

 

☾☼ 

 

Maybe after millions of years, when everything is different in the human world, most of humans’ powers will have weakened to the point that they are not identifiable anymore.

Maybe one day a baby will be born in Ilsan, who will later nickname himself Yoo Jihyuk, and six month later, another baby will be born in Mokpo, delivered with the help of his grandmother.

Even if they won’t have any memories of that very first lifetime, when they existed as mythical creatures to the people of today; even if they don’t remember when one was a prince and the other a commoner, travelling together across faraway places only to realize that their destination was the other.

The connection that exists between them will still be preserved. It will be acknowledged when two trainees overcome difficulties before debut through each other’s support. It will be witnessed when two idols fulfill their promise to enlist for their army services together.

As cheesy as it sounds, there is only one thing that can withstand the erosion of time.

And that, is the power of love.


End file.
